A conventional example of this type of connector is described in EP 0090502, A2. As shown in FIG. 13 of this specification, this connector is provided with a pair of housings 1 and 2 capable of fitting mutually together. When the housings 1 and 2 are in a completely fitted state, a locking member 3 formed on an upper face of the housing 1 passes through and engages a protruding member 4 shaped like an inverted U and formed on the housing 2. In this state, a housing retaining member 5 is passes horizontally through the locking member 3 and the housings 1 and 2 are thereby retained in a fitted state. At this juncture a half-fitted state can be detected because member 5 cannot be installed into the locking member 3.
However, the two housings of a connector are usually installed into the ends of separate harnesses at a harness factory and are then transported to an assembly site (such as an automobile assembly site, etc.). At this juncture, the housing retaining member 5 and the housings 1 and 2 of the conventional connector are in a separated state. Consequently, it is troublesome to control these components, and a troublesome assembly operation must be performed at the assembly site. Alternatively, in a configuration whereby the housing retaining member temporarily stops the housings and is pushed into a main stopping position at the assembly site, there is the risk that the housing retaining member might strike against other components while being transported and thereby move into the main stopping position. If the temporary stopping strength of the housing retaining member is merely increased in order to deal with this problem, the operation of pushing in the housing retaining member at the assembly site is rendered more difficult.
The present invention has been developed after taking the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a connector in which the housing retaining member can be reliably retained in a temporary stopping position while the connector is in a separated state, and in which the assembly operation of the housing retaining member can be performed easily.
According to the present invention there is provided a connector comprising male and female connector housings mutually engageable in a fitting direction, one of said connector housings being provided with a housing retaining member movable in a direction intersecting said fitting direction between a temporary fitted position and a fully fitted position, the temporary fitted position allowing the connector housings to be fitted together and the fully fitted position retaining the connector housings in a fully fitted state, the housing retaining member being provided with a resilient locking arm protruding in a direction intersecting said fitting direction, and said one of the connector housings being provided with a recess within which the locking arm is received when the retaining member is in the temporary fitted position, wherein the other of the connector housings is provided with an abutment surface adapted to move the locking arm as the connector housings are fitted together, thereby disengaging the locking arm from the recess and permitting movement of the housing retaining member from the temporary fitted position to the fully fitted position.
With the locking arm of the housing retaining member received in the recess of the connector housing, the housing retaining member is resistant to external forces, for example experienced during transportation, acting to move it to the fully fitted position. The aforementioned problems associated with having a separate housing retaining member are also alleviated.
In a preferred embodiment the recess is provided in a partition wall of said one of the connector housings and the locking arm overlies an edge of said partition wall when the housing retaining member is in the fully fitted position. By overlying an edge of the wall, the locking arm retains the housing retaining member in the fully fitted position.
The partition wall and locking arm may be provided with respective angled portions which face one another when the housing retaining member is in the fully fitted position, these angled portions being adapted to urge the locking arm from its position overlying the partition wall when the housing retaining member is moved from the fully fitted position. The tapered portions allow the housing retaining member to be moved to the temporary fitted position, for example to allow the connector housings to be separated, without damaging the locking arm. The angled portions are arranged so as to deflect the locking arm away from the edge of the partition wall when the housing retaining member is moved from the fully fitted position.
In a preferred embodiment, the housing retaining member includes an upstanding contact member adapted to contact said other of the connector housings if the connector housings are fitted together with the housing retaining member in the fully fitted position, the contact member being adapted to move the housing retaining member to the temporary fitted state as a result of further movement of said other of the connector housings in the fitting direction. The contact member is preferably provided with a tapered contact face, said tapered contact face intersecting diagonally with the direction of fitting of the connector housings.